The Fictional 99%: 10 of Pop Culture's Poorest Characters

Earlier this week, Forbes released its annual list of the 15 richest fictional characters, topped by Tolkien’s legendary dragon Smaug and featuring other one percenters like Tywin Lannister, Tony Stark and Robert Crawley. Well, that’s all very well and good, but the list got us to thinking about the other end of the stick — the poorest fictional characters across pop culture, from street urchins to hobos to a very special monster who lives in a trash can. Click through to check out our list, and since we obviously couldn’t hit them all, let us know if we’ve missed your favorite impoverished fictional figure in the comments.

Oliver Twist

Probably the most iconic poverty-stricken character of all time — courtesy Charles Dickens, of course — who uttered those famous and simple lines: “Please, sir, I want some more.”